Azul
by ImplicationsProblematic
Summary: I don't think there's enough Liara/James fic. So I'm having a go. Set in ME3 and possibly beyond with allusions to Paragon Lost- but knowledge of PL isn't needed. Rated M for future chapters. All the Spanish is internet dependent- sorry.
1. Chapter 1

Vega wasn't sure who he'd expected to drop out of that vent when they heard the clear noise of a pursuit and Cerberus radio chatter; a lone Alliance survivor of the attack perhaps, or a doddering researcher. He certainly hadn't expected an Asari- it was a human facility after all. He'd been around the galaxy enough to be long past any shoots of xenophobia he may have had when he first enlisted. Aliens, as far as he could tell, had the same spectrum of dicks to angels as humans. And if anything, he had a particular… _fondness_ for the Asari- but he wasn't an idiot. Today of all days, he wasn't going to trust a stranger straight off the bat unless they were in an Alliance uniform- so he followed Shepard out of cover with his gun raised but was promptly made to feel like an idiot by the Commander.

"Easy Lieutenant, she's with us."

He lowered his weapon as the stranger turned from the soldiers she had expertly dispatched moments earlier.

"Liara," A smile flickered briefly across Shepard's tense visage.

"Shepard," Relief flooded into those startlingly blue eyes as the Commander approached and was swiftly pulled into a tight hug. James caught her gaze over Shepard's shoulder for a fraction of second.

Was this _the_ Liara? The renowned Prothean scholar from Shepard's SR1 crew? Vega had read more about Shepard than he cared to admit during the course of the hero worship that had earned him merciless teasing from his peers. So naturally he'd stumbled upon the doctor's name and even some of her papers. Of course he hadn't really bothered with those; his talents lay in combat, not academia, and he knew it. Nothing that he had read had suggested that she'd be so capable, or so… _striking_. If this was how highbrow academics looked, maybe he should have gone to college after all.

_**So**_ _not appropriate right now Vega_. He told himself.

"Thank the Goddess you're alive." She and Shepard separated. "Earth… I'm so sorry,"

"It was difficult to leave like that." Said Alenko with a grimace as he moved forward.

"Kaidan," Dr T'Soni wrapped the Major in hug. He looked a little taken aback, but gave a smile- awkward, but genuine.

"It's good to see you Liara."

James felt a little uncomfortable, intruding on this reunion between the old comrades, but hell, there wasn't really a lot he could do about it. So he hung back, checking his gun for non-existent faults. Minutes later, he was well and truly feeling like the proverbial third wheel as he headed back to the shuttle, replaced, it seemed, by the Doctor. He knew that, by all accounts, she was more or less a genius and could clearly handle herself in a fight, but he found himself feeling a little irritated by his dismissal all the same. Shamefully, he also caught his mind lingering on T'Soni's smile- fleeting though it had been- as well as her eyes, the freckles across her high cheekbones and the hints of a killer body beneath that labcoat.

_Oh shit. Seriously Vega? Could you try to be less of a perv and more of a marine? Remember that war that just broke out?_

Not to worry. He was brought firmly back to the reality of the situation when he found three Cerberus troopers poking around the shuttle.

_That'll teach you._ He thought as the final soldier's last shot whistled past his ear.

He didn't exactly remember _deciding_ to knock the Cerberus shuttle out of the sky. James just sort of… found himself bracing for impact as the collision sent both vehicles screaming to the ground. Dazed from the crash, the chaos sharpened at Shepard's shout.

"Kaidan!"

_Qué chingados…_

The- what was it? A mech?- let the Major fall without even turning to look back at him, as if he were trash into a garbage can. Shepard snarled as it sprinted towards her and had taken it out before half the distance was covered.

"Dios…" he muttered as the Commander took on Alenko's, not insignificant, weight with apparent ease. Vega came forward to assist regardless, but Shepard strode straight past him.

"Get us to the Normandy Lieutenant."

"Aye aye,"

She was already crouched over the Major's unconscious form on the shuttle floor. Doctor T'Soni knelt beside her, scanning Alenko with her omni—tool. Shaking her head, she looked up at him.

"Hurry."

—

It wasn't looking good.

Still unconscious, Alenko's vitals flickered weakly on the monitors. For a second, James had fully expected Shepard to refuse to leave the medical bay when the call came, such was the visible intensity of her concern. Now it was just him and the Doc, who was doing the best she could without any real medical training or supplies.

"I don't know what else to do," she said, more to herself than to him. Her omni-tool began to flash insistently until she yielded and brought up the display. "The Crucible plans… I need to… But-"

"I can watch him Doc," Liara stared at him for a couple of seconds, then bit her lip, looking back to Kaidan anxiously. "It's okay," he continued. "If there's any change…"

"Okay," she nodded. "Yes… okay." One final glance at the Major and then she turned to him. "Thank you Lieutenant." She said and hurried out of the medical bay.

"Hang in there Major," he grimaced. "We're gonna need every soldier in this fight."


	2. Chapter 2

Liara stormed through the Presidium, scattering a crowd of Volus diplomats that she would ordinarily have politely skirted around. 'Excuse me' was not in her dictionary today. How could the Council possibly _still_ be ignoring them. It had taken her real effort to stop herself from screaming- but if _she_ couldn't control herself, what hope was there for Shepard? The Commander had been visibly shaking with rage, faced with this non-committal, bureaucratic nonsense in the face of her grief, fresh from Earth and Mars. As she pushed through the infuriatingly calm crowd, a crash alerted her to the stack of datapads she'd just knocked from the hands of a Turian clerk.

"Goddess," She helped the clerk gather up the debris. "I'm sorry. I was-"

"Watch where you're going," he spat. "Now I'll be late."

"I'm sorry," she called after him as he hurried away. With a deep exhale she pinched the bridge of her nose. This was not her day.

"You okay Doc?"

Turning in the direction of the voice, she saw Shepard's Lieutenant approaching- his sheer bulk let him pass easily through the crowd.

"Yes, I'm-" she began before sighing again. "No, not really."

"So it didn't go well with the Council?" he frowned.

Liara let out a short, bitter laugh. "No. They **still** aren't listening. I don't know what other proof they could possibly need."

"Ah shit," he grimaced. "Shepard still in there?"

"No," she replied. "She and Udina are with the Turian Councilor- hopefully something will come of it. If not…" she trailed off. Goddess she was tired.

"Don't give up yet Doc" he said. "I haven't known Shepard as long as you have, but I know she'll find a way to get us through this. We'll fix it." There was such certainty in his voice… and she so desperately wanted to believe him.

"Thank you Lieutenant." She smiled weakly and a thought hit her. "I've just realised that we haven't been introduced."

"Heh," he smirked. "There wasn't exactly time was there? Lieutenant James Vega." After a quick salute, he held out his hand. It took Liara a couple of seconds to remember the purpose of the action.

"Oh," she said, taking it quickly. "Sorry- I guess my human gestures have gotten rusty without Shepard to keep me in practice." She blushed a little when he laughed. "Doctor Liara T'Soni."

"Oh I know who _you_ are Doc," he grinned

"You do?" she asked nervously.

"Oh yeah, I've read a lot about the SR1- I mean," He shifted a little where he stood. "-for… training and whatever." He almost seemed embarrassed. It was cute.

_Where did that come from?_

Liara pushed the thought aside as Vega continued.

"And when I was stationed on Fehl Prime, I met one of your peers, I think- Treeya Nuwani?"

"_Treeya_," she smiled. Liara hadn't thought about her in a long time- it was nice to be reminded of their time working together, back when things weren't so desperate. "I fear she always thought I was crazy- insisting a race of sentient starships was coming to wipe out organic life…"

"Yeah…" he grimaced. "I'd say anyone who isn't already convinced is going to be very soon."

A second of silence and then a beep from her omnitool.

"I have to make a call to Admiral Hackett…" she said, tensing as she was reminded of reality. "Will you be remaining on the Normandy Lieutenant?"

"Hell yeah," he nodded. "I mean, if that's okay by Shepard."

"Then I'll see you back on the ship," she said with a smile, turning towards the elevators.

"See you later Doc," he called, but she was already lost in frantic thoughts of the Prothean Device.


	3. Chapter 3

Vega loitered in the cargo bay, impatiently waiting for a sign that they were shipping out. The announcement never came. He'd been talking crap with Esteban- shop mostly, with a little of their usual teasing- when the engines powered up.

Steve shot him a silent 'What the fuck?'

"I'll go check it out," James muttered, heading to the elevator.

A couple of minutes later, he exited to the CIC.

"Hey Traynor," he stepped quickly out of the path of a flustered ensign. "What's going on?"

"We're headed to Palaven." She explained, briefly looking back at him over her shoulder, but never taking her hands from the console.

"Palaven?"

"Palaven" she repeated. "Shepard's going to pick up the Turian Primarch." The Specialist's fingers whirred over the interface.

"Thanks," He wanted more information, but Traynor looked like she was going to pop a vein and everyone else in sight seemed similarly stressed. It set his teeth on edge to think that they were playing taxi for the council whilst Earth burned.

_If Shepard says we're going to Palaven, she'll have a good reason._ He told himself as he jabbed the button for the Cargo Bay. _Do your job Vega. Point, shoot and take down as many of the bastards as you can whilst you're still breathing._

Menae had been… Dios, it had been _fucking horrific._

He wasn't proud of it, but even then, surrounded by reaper troops in the apocalyptic hellscape of Palaven's moon, with the looming Turian homeworld burning above him, his thoughts had been with Earth. They picked up the Primarch eventually- well, the backup Primarch. He also managed to intrude on another SR1 reunion. Vega soon decided he liked Vakarian and had re-christened him 'Scars' within ten minutes. If nothing else, the Turian was clearly a comfort to Shepard. Liara too, was relieved to see her old comrade and gave him a quick hug. That hug made Vega a little uncomfortable for some reason, but within minutes he, Vakarian and the Commander were facing down three Brutes and there was no room for anything but the mission.

Later, he was back cleaning weapons in the cargo bay, brooding over the day's horrors. Usually, he'd be poking fun at Cortez, throwing in a flirt here and there to draw smiles and laughs from the shuttle pilot. Esteban put on a brave face and flew the bullky kodiak like a sleek fighter jet, but his grief was there for all who cared to look. Today though, James didn't have his usual performance in him. Shoving the crate of rifle scopes out of his way, he began pull-ups. Exercise, the old standbye, cleared his head and eased his frustration. He kept up his determined pace, even when Lola stopped by to chat. It was a relief when their chat turned into a sparring session, but he let more slip than he'd intended- and got his ass handed to him.

"-but if you're half as good as I think you are," Shepard pushed her hair from her face as she stood over him, panting slightly "we need you **alive.**"

"Thanks for the pep talk," he said, still flat on his back and wondering how he got there.

"Any time," she called back as she left.

"Soooooo,"

When he pulled himself up with a sigh, Cortez was watching him with folded arms and a smirk.

"So what?"

"So are you gonna rectify that deathwish of yours now that the Commander's kicked your ass? Because I'm tired of looking after you."

Vega smirked back at him.

"You love it Esteban."

"Yeah, there's nothing I enjoy more than fixing shuttles you've crashed."

"Yeah yeah- you want a cervesa?"

"Sure,"

James dug two bottles out of the minifridge he wasn't strictly allowed to keep by his weapons bench.

"Cheers" he said, handing Steve a beer.

"Cheers"

They clinked their drinks together and each took a swig.

"Back to the Citadel," mused Steve.

"Again?" James frowned.

"Yeah," he took another drink "Figure Shepard wants to check on the Major."

"Already? Why doesn't she just get an extranet update?"

Cortez stared at him.

"Well why do you think?"

"That's what I'm asking." His frown deepened when Steve's stare developed into a grin. "Don't give me that shit, tell me what you know."

"You mean you seriously don't-?"

"NO."

"Well Vega," Steve said, in his most patronising tone. "Shepard is in love with him."

James stared at him.

"You're messing with me."

"Nope." Cortez was rolling her eyes now. "They had a thing on the SR1 apparently- not sure how things are now but… You seriously didn't know? Jesus Vega, you played guard dog for six months and didn't pick up on that?"

"Yeah, yeah, shut it Esteban." He grumbled and continued to drink as the pilot chuckled smugly. Slowly, a thought crept up on him- what other knowledge might Steve be privy to? "So… _Mr 'I know everything',_"

"That's me" Cortez agreed.

"What about the Doc and Scars?"

"What do you mean?"

"Anything…" he tried hard not to sound bothered either way "anything going on there?"

Steve shook his head.

"Not that I've heard,"he frowned. "Why'd you ask?" And then realisation dawned.

Uh oh.

"Oh my God, you like Liara!" Steve grinned.

"I do not," he hissed.

"Well then maybe it's Garrus you're after…" The pilot's eyes shone with merciless mischief.

"What? _No!_" James hoped the dim lighting disguised his increasing blush.

"Then it _is_ Liara!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Scowling, Vega stalked back to his bench- but Cortez wasn't letting him off yet.

"Aww, James. That's so… adorable."

"Shut it flyboy."

"Is that why you barely batted an eyelid when EDI came down here? I expected you to be all over her."

"I said-" But there was no stopping Steve now.

"Have you said anything to her? No wait, of course you haven't; you're all talk."

Vega resolved to put a tremendous amount of energy and focus into sorting thermal clips. Cortez happily continued despite his silence.

"You've gotta get your act together to have a shot there Vega,"With a sigh, James gave in, knowing that his friend was not going to let this go. "I doubt she'll fall for your usual material." Steve mocked.

"No?" he tried to sound casual but knew he wasn't fooling anyone. "It works fine on you."

"You wish Lieutenant," Cortez smirked. "And besides, **I'm** not a beautiful, genius, ass kicking, information brokering, 109 year old Asari."

"Oh believe me," he said dryly. "I'd noticed that."

Grabbing a towel and a change of clothes, he headed to the elevator. "I'm going for a shower." He sighed.

"I'd hope so," Cortez called "Liara will never go for you if you smell like that."

James gave Steve a good look at his middle finger as the elevator doors closed; his friend just cackled in return.

"Argh!"Vega hissed. "_¡Mierda!_ Take it easy- ow!"

"If you'd sit still Mr Vega," Chakwas sighed as she cut away the remains of the shirt he wore under his armor, "-this would be a lot easier for both of us,"

"Yeah sure, you just like to see me suff- fuck!"

"What did I say about moving?" She gave him a not so gentle cuff around the ear, causing him to yelp and Vakarian to chuckle. Evacuating Grissom Academy had gone relatively smoothly; they'd gotten all the kids out at least. But a slip up on his part had left him with a nasty gouge on his back.

"You'd do well to listen to the Doctor Lieutenant," hummed Garrus. "She knows what she's doing."

"Thank you Garrus," Chakwas smiled

"You're welcome Karin,"

"Kiss ass," he muttered. "And I never said she -_ah!_- never said she didn't. I just think she enjoys seeing me in pain."

"Everyone needs a hobby," she opined, sharply pulling away the scraps where they stuck to the bloody wound. James exploded into Spanish profanities.

"Well I suppose not all humans can be as tough as Shepard," Vakarian mused.

Scowling in reply, Vega winced through the sting of the antiseptic Chakwas applied.

"Are you here for a reason Vakarian? Or are you just a sadist?"

"Well I know when I'm not wanted," Garrus sighed. "Don't go easy on him Doctor,"

"Oh there's no danger of that."

The sniper sauntered out into the mess, leaving Vega in the doctor's capable, but merciless hands.

Some time later, when Chakwas was finishing up his stitches, James heard the med bay doors open. He looked up in mild interest and then sat up rather suddenly when he saw that the newcomer was Doctor T'Soni.

"Karin, I was wondering if- Oh," Liara had noticed him sitting on the bed, naked from the waist up save for his dogtags. "I'm sorry," She flushed lilac and looked away from him, "I didn't realise."

"No worries Doc," Vega flexed as subtly as he could, ignoring the pain as his stitches strained. He was fully aware that he was a sight to behold when shirtless and worked hard to keep it that way. "It's wouldn't be fair if only Karin got the show,"

_Idiot._

He'd automatically fallen back into his usual swagger to combat the fluttering feeling Liara had inspired in his stomach- but he realised now that he'd just sounded like a dick.

"That's Doctor Chakwas to you Lieutenant. Now what was it you wanted to talk about Liara?"

"Oh," Flustered, the Asari glanced back at James. Her eyes lingered on his torso for a thrilling second. "No, you're busy. I'll um, I'll come back later." And she was gone.

James' gaze followed her out the doors and past the med bay windows.

"So Karin," he started.

"_Doctor Chakwas_," she repeated as she dressed his injury.

"Doctor Chakwas," he amended. "What's the story with the doc?"

"Liara?" she asked, surprised. "Well she was an archaeologist before-" Chakwas laughed. "Before Shepard. She's an expert on the Protheans but she wasn't taken seriously for years because she's so young."

"109?"

"Well yes, but if the average Asari lifetime is 1000, that equates to… oh, I don't know- a little younger than you I'd imagine."

"Wow,"

"Indeed. Why are you asking anyway?" Suddenly, she stopped her work and was suddenly on his side of the bed, staring at him intently. "DO NOT go there Vega."

"What?!" He played innocent.

"Don't '_what'_ me Lieutenant." She shook her finger at him. "I consider Liara a good friend and she's been through a lot. She **does not** need some amateur Lothario playing with her feelings."

_Well that's a little harsh._

"Geez, words hurt Doc," he sulked.

"Not as much as my surgical saw."


	4. Chapter 4

"You're not seriously going to eat that?"

Liara looked down at the 'meal' she had been preparing and then at James, who had appeared from nowhere, almost making her jump. Almost. She was the Shadow Broker after all.

"Well I-" she started, looking down again. "…Yes, I suppose I am."

She didn't have the time, or the skill, for a proper meal. More often than she'd like, Liara would get caught up in a report or a video call with an agent and consequently miss the meals served for the crew in the mess. On those occasions, instant rations had to serve; a little boiling water, a short stir and done. Not particularly appetising, but it had everything she needed, was easy to do and -most importantly- it was quick.

"You should **never** eat anything where the flavour comes separately in a vacuum sealed packet. Not unless you're _starving_. Hell, not even then."

"Well I missed the call for dinner so-"

Vega snorted.

"You're working too hard Doc."

"You might be right," she sighed. "What are you-" He'd taken the bowl from her hands, tipping the grey mush straight into the trash.

"Sit down," he smirked, opening the refrigerator. "You're having _huevos_."

She thought about protesting, about telling him she didn't have time. Maybe it was the fact that she'd eaten nothing all day, maybe it was because she'd been working for 14 hours straight, but for whatever reason, Liara found herself saying nothing and sitting at the mess table.

_Maybe it's because it's __**him**_**.** Said an inconvinient little voice that had been growing steadily louder recently.

Though she struggled to allow herself to admit it, Liara had been thinking about James a lot lately. About their chat on the citadel after Mars, that stupid smirk, the sight of him shirtless that day in the medbay…

_Goddess Liara, stop that._

"So you're not much of a chef then?"

She started a little at his voice.

"Um,"

_Focus Liara_.

"No, not really," she admitted, watching him work. "I've never found the time to learn."

"I'll say it again," said the Lieutenant, walking over to her, plate in hand. "You're working too hard." Sitting down opposite her, he slid the meal over and handed her a fork.

"Thank you," Liara smiled. Frustratingly, she felt herself beginning to blush. She tucked in, concentrating very hard on not dropping it down her front. James actually looked a little nervous.

It was good. Very good. Vega smiled as she let out a small contented purr.

"Okay?"

"Very much better than okay,"

"Not just saying that?" There was that smirk again.

"No," she said, a little more urgently than she'd intended. She took another forkful. "I was fully prepared to lie, but it's the best thing I've eaten in… longer than I want to think about."

He smiled again. It was more earnest this time; slightly goofy. _Very_ cute.

"Of course _that_ could be a lie." He teased.

"Well I **am** the Shadow Broker," she replied between mouthfuls.

"Yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't know whether I was supposed to hear that or not back at the Archives."

"Oh there aren't many secrets on _this_ ship." Liara sighed, setting her fork down on her rapidly cleared plate.

"Pretty intimidating introduction," he chuckled.

Her irritating blush increased, as though she were still the naive, combat shy archaeologist Shepard had rescued on Therum and not **the damn Shadow Broker**.

"Thank you" she said. "That really was lovely."

"It was no trouble," he shrugged.

_No trouble. He would have done this for anyone- not just for me._

But then there was silence for a moment as their eyes met.

"I haven't met many marines who can cook," She wasn't entirely able to keep the flustered tone from her voice. "Kaidan was okay, but Shepard is diabolical." That earned a laugh.

"Yeah, but she can't be good at everything. So cooking and dancing; those are her weaknesses."

"And driving." She added.

"No way,"

"Goddess yes," she laughed. "I had to take motion sickness medication before trips in the Mako on the old Normandy. She seemed to think it could fly too… Shepard took cliffs in ways that made even Wrex scream."

"I guess next time she kicks my ass I'll have to challenge her to a cook off." He said amusedly.

"Now _that_ I'd like to see…" she smiled. "So who where did you learn to cook?"

James leant back in his chair, a vaguely wistful look entering his eyes.

"My abuela taught me," he smiled.

"_Abuela_?"

Translators weren't flawless, especially when they had to transfer between languages quickly. A girlfriend maybe? Her stomach wriggled unpleasantly.

_Shut up. It doesn't matter._

"Oh sorry- my grandmother," he explained. Liara's stomach settled. Not that it was important.

"Is she still around?" she asked, mindful of human lifespans.

"Nah, died a few years back,"

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"It's fine, it was her time and she went peacefully. I miss her though." He looked down at the table.

"Of course.. I've been meaning to say," James looked back up. "I- my networks on Earth aren't at their best, but if there's anyone you'd like me to try check on- any family, or a girlfriend…"

"What? _No._" He interrupted, with a notable urgency that thrilled her despite all logic. "Nothing like that. Civilians don't really… I don't know, they don't get it- they can't I guess. Never seems to work out…"

"Mmmm," she agreed, unsure what to say. "I think that's one of the reasons Shepard and Kaidan worked so well before- well, _before_." She trailed off into silence. "So… any family?" She continued, mostly to fill the quiet.

"No, not really." He said, a little sadly. "My mom died when I was pretty small- I grew up with my aunt and uncle but they're gone now too."

"Your father?" she asked hesitantly. He snorted.

"I think he's still around somewhere- unfortunately." James let out a sigh. "That must sound harsh- it's just…" He sighed again.

"I didn't meant to pry," she said quickly. "I'm sorry,"

"No it's fine," he assured her. "He's… well, he's a scumbag really. Treated my mom like shit then ran out on her when I was born. I didn't meet him for years- not that I wanted him to- and then he turned up just in time to get me into some trouble right before I enlisted." There was a strange look in James' eyes. Liara got the sense that he didn't talk about this a lot. "I don't even understand _why_. Just wanted to drag me down to his level I guess- screw up my chances of doing something with my life. I'd known I wanted to enlist since I was fourteen- and then it was nearly all gone because of that _bastard_." He said bitterly. "Dios, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to go all tragedy queen on you there."

"Did you ever-" she started. "Have you heard anything about my mother, Benezia?" He shook his head and she took a deep breath. "She was a very powerful Matriarch. When Saren first started behaving… she sensed something and she tried to… I don't know, _influence_ him- to make him less… radical. But it wasn't long before she became indoctrinated."

"Shit," he breathed. Liara nodded.

"I didn't know what had happened. Just that she'd changed into someone, _something_ awful. I cut off all contact- I didn't want anything to do with her. By the time I joined Shepard, she was entirely under Saren's control- or, I suppose, Sovereign's control. I don't know how many innocents died because of her…" She closed her eyes, but felt James reach across the table to cover her hand with his and squeeze gently. If she hadn't been lost in those painful memories her heart might have given out. "In the end, we tracked her to Noveria. She was transporting a Geth shipment… Anyway, we- Shepard, Garrus and I- we had to kill her." James' grip on her hand tightened a little. "I don't know whose bullet finally did it- it could easily have been mine… She came round before the end- fought the indoctrination long enough to say sorry and goodbye…" Liara opened her eyes, straight into Vega's gaze. "It's not the same, I know. But my point is," she sighed. "Parents are… difficult. It doesn't matter if you're trying to distance yourself from what they've done, if you're trying to live up to their pressures like Tali, if you've lost them like Shepard or if you still have them but things are difficult, like Garrus. I think that… I don't know, eventually we just have to let it go. Let our parents be separate to us when we need them to be. Just be ourselves independent of them." There were a few seconds of silence when she finished.

"That makes a lot of sense" he said quietly.

"It sounded a lot better in my head."

He smiled at her, a different kind of smile this time; it thrilled her, but startled her too. She withdrew her hand and stood. "I should get back to work" she said, furious at her blush.

"Oh, um, me too I guess."

_Is he blushing too?_

"I'll see you tomorrow,thank you for the meal." She smiled shyly and began towards to her cabin.

"Yeah," he said. "Wait, Liara?"

"Yes?" she said,turning back a little too quickly.

"Thanks," he said with feeling. "And I'm sorry about your Mom."

Liara smiled again. "Thank you, goodnight James."


	5. Chapter 5

Vega stayed at the mess table for a while after Liara left, thinking, just thinking. He felt… strange. But it was a nice kind of strange. A tender kind of strange, different to the way other women… sort of like he was—

_Oh shit._

_Nope. Not gonna think about that. Not gonna let this become more than I can handle._

_But still—_

He stood up abruptly, shaking his head at the empty mess hall.

_Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente._

—

Cortez seemed to be working late today, still tinkering away at the shuttle as James stepped out of the elevator. He did that on days when memories of his husband kept him from sleep. That had been the case less frequently lately—maybe due to the war, or perhaps Shepard's influence, but that sort of pain never left you. The pilot stopped working at the sound of James' footsteps echoing through the cargo bay.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Steve called.

"Shouldn't you?" he responded gruffly.

"Woah there, what's yanking your dogtags?" Steve sounded a little affronted, but also concerned. James gave a non-committal grunt. A light thud announced the downing of Cortez's tools. "Don't give me that shit," he said, walking over and leaning on the workbench as James began to hurriedly clean a pistol. "What's up?" Vega said nothing and Steve sighed. "Well… if you're sulking like this-" James snorted indignantly. "-either Shepard has chewed you out over something- which seems unlikely because you've been surprisingly well behaved lately- or… well for a lot of guys I'd say a woman but not Mr Ladykiller." His hands faltered for a fraction of a second, more than enough for Cortez. "_Oh my God_, is this about the Doc? Did something actually happen?" He knew there was no way Esteban was going to let this drop; he put the weapon components down and sighed. "It **did**?" Steve asked eyes wide. "Well by the look of you it can't have been good."

"No," James looked up at him. "It was… we talked…"

"Yeah…?" Steve prompted. "What did you talk about?"

"Just… stuff… My Dad… Her Mom…"

"From what I hear she doesn't talk about Benezia much,"

_How does he know when I didn't_—_It's Esteban,of course he knows._

"So that's a good sign surely," Steve finished.

"Yeah…"James sighed again. "It was… it felt… good- _really good_. I think there's something there— but she's so… I don't know, _careful_. And I keep saying the dumbest shit…" he trailed off pathetically.

Steve thought for a moment.

"Well you probably have a better idea of what's going on in her head than I do," James gave a bitter little laugh. "—but I'd say that there's something there. I mean, even from just the way she changes when you're in the same room—"

That perked him up a bit.

"Yeah?" he said hopefully.

"Yeah." Steve smiled kindly. "But she doesn't strike me as a particularly confident person… and she's so wrapped up in the war…"

"Mmmm,"

Would it be selfish to distract her with his feelings when she was such an important part of the war effort? Yeah, almost certainly.

As though he'd read James' thoughts, Steve spoke again.

"But I think she could probably use something good in her life in the middle of all this." Vega relaxed a little. "Like you said, she's careful. I don't think there's any chance she'll initiate anything. For the love of God **Do. Not. Blame. Me**. if this blows up in your face," he warned. "But I think if you pick your moment, keep it _slow and honest_—none of your usual cocky bullshit— then I think you've got more than a reasonable shot there."

"You think?'" The nervousness in his tone would make him cringe later. He didn't want to risk—couldn't risk fucking this up.

"I'd say so," Cortez looked a little amused by his earnest expression. "But this is just my opinion. And, _shockingly_, women are not my area of expertise- so don't run with this blindly and blame me if you screw it up."

"Thanks…. I think."

"No problem. Just remember, slow and sincere." Cortex yawned. "I'm gonna turn in. Don't brood over this for too long— you're gonna need your— _ahem_, 'beauty' sleep after all."

"Yeah yeah," he grinned. "And Esteban?"

"Mmm?"

_"Gracias."_

—

One more call at the Citadel before Shepard attempted to get a Turian, a Krogan and a Salarian to cooperate in a confined space. They were dropping off the lone survivor of their Rachni encounter at Huerta Memorial, despite the Krogan's protests. He was a tough son of a bitch, but Shepard seemed to have him wound around her little finger. Maybe there was hope for the summit after all. James suspected that this detour also had something to do with the Major, who was now back on his feet, though still in hospital—but James could hardly criticise Shepard's behaviour in his own deplorably lovesick state.

But the brief stop— a grand total of 4 hours— did give him a chance to stretch his legs and restock his stores of beer and junk food. A new rifle scope, bought on impulse, cheered him up enough to change his plans from skulking back to the armoury, to a stroll around the Presidium. James took in his surroundings, noting the variety both between and within the species bustling through the area. The one thing they had in common, was their apparent disinterest in the horrors happening just a couple of relay jumps away. But could he blame them? If he didn't have his duty, if he could forget, if he hadn't seen the things he'd seen… wouldn't he want something else?

He ceased his wandering, turning to the store behind him. A timid thought crept up on him, urging him forward. He allowed himself a smile.

_Worth a shot_.


	6. Chapter 6

She woke up in a pile of datapads, sending a few toppling from the bed as she stirred.

"What time is it Glyph?" Liara murmured, one hand on her forehead as the other reached for stray OSDs. "How long before—"

— —_ "Remaining travel time to Tuchanka is estimated to be 24.7 minutes Dr T'Soni."_ The drone chimed. _"Commander Shepard intends to take Crew-member Vakarian and Lieutenant Vega to rescue the Primarch's son."_ —

"Thank you Glyph,"

_No time for breakfast then._

She'd been dreaming again, which wasn't unusual in itself, but the type of dream was a very recent development. Those dreams, the ones from which she woke gasping and flushed, had only been happening since— well, she knew what, or _who_, had started them. Her subconsciousness' nocturnal wanderings were not at all unpleasant, but they left her feeling a little… startled, and even_ guilty_. Which was absurd. It was a perfectly natural part of her biology- one that she'd thus far neglected. She couldn't control the nature of her dreams, or who her mind chose to…

— — _"Lieutenant Vega wishes to see you Dr T'Soni."_ —

"_What?_" Liara yelped, eyes darting from the datapads stacked on every surface to the crumpled clothes she'd slept in.

— — _"Shall I ask him to return later?"_ —

A perfect way out.

_No._

"I er-" Liara seized a change of clothes. "-tell him that I just need a minute to-" she mumbled through her shirt as she pulled it up and off. "-to finish a call-"

"Yes Doctor T'Soni."

Kicking a pile of clothes under her bed as she finished fastening her jacket, she brought up her omnitool and opened the door to her office. James' considerable figure appeared in the threshold.

"Hey Doc, you got a sec?" The Lieutenant's eyes found one of the larger piles of OSDs and he raised an eyebrow.

"Of course" she heard herself say. "Come in," Liars futilely shuffled a few things around her desk as he entered. "How can I help you?" She said, turning back to him and noticing that he kept one hand behind his back.

"I uh," James shifted his weight back and forth between his feet "I got you something."

She blinked at him, utterly dumbfounded.

"You..."

"It's stupid" he continued hurriedly "but it felt like a good idea at the time and... Yeah, so... Here."

Liara stared down at the book that had been thrust into her hands. She wondered dimly where he'd managed to find a physically printed human text outside of Earth. Thin white letters across the blue cover read 'Recipes for Beginners'.

"James, I—"

When she looked up he was nervously waiting for her reaction. His eyes widened when he noticed the moisture welling in hers.

"Shit Liara I'm sorry— I didn't mean to—"

"No!" She insisted "James it's...it's lovely" Liara cursed the tears she felt forming. " I've just been so caught up in the war and work—it's just one horror after another— but then this is just so kind" her voice cracked.

"Hey," James whispered, raising one large hand to cradle her cheek and wiping away a tear with his thumb. "No tears Doc,"

Leaning into his touch, she stared up at him, caught in his tender gaze.

"James..." She began with a whisper.

And then his lips found hers. She gasped against his mouth and then sighed as she melted into the warmth of him. Her right hand clutched the book tightly whilst her left found its way to rest on his chest. Encouraged, James moved closer, gently placing his other hand on her waist. Liara's lips parted unconsciously under the sweep of his tongue. She felt herself sinking deeper and deeper until-

She backed away, applying light pressure to his chest. Turning to her desk, Liara brought a hand to her temple.

"Liara, I'm sorry." James murmured quickly. "I shouldn't have—"

"James I can't— I need to—"

_-"We have entered orbit over Tuchanka Dr Tsoni. Commander Shepard wishes the ground team to join her in the shuttle bay"-_

"Shepard is waiting for you" she said without turning back to him.

"Liara, I—" he started.

"Please James," she couldn't bear to turn back to him, to see his face and the hurt she had put there. Liara stood frozen until she heard the door close behind him. Only then did she allow herself to fall into her chair and sob into her hands.


	7. Chapter 7

FINALLY, romantic pay off.

Contains light smut which was a nightmare to write because I'm English and therefore hideously repressed.

"Garrus, James, good work. Get yourselves checked out and rest up whilst we deal with this bomb- be ready for the assault on The Shroud."  
>"Aye aye Commander" James said. Garrus simply nodded.<br>Shepard herself headed straight back into the shuttle— back into the danger— as soon as her ground squad arrived. EDI strode across the bay in a flash of silver and Liara followed close behind. The Asari's back was straight, her head high and her eyes fierce as they determinedly avoided his direction.  
>James watched her go, a futile dread clouding his thoughts. This was a high stakes mission. There were no guarantees; not of ease, success or even survival. In all probability, this would be the last time he ever saw her. He watched, uselessly, as the shuttle door closed with a cold <em>thud<em>.

"Vega," Garrus called from the elevator. "You coming?"

"Take it easy Scars," he answered with a pitiful attempt at his usual bravado. "I'm coming."  
>—<p>

_Manda huevos… _

The Normandy's showers were infamously poor —the one technological failing on The Alliance's most advanced frigate—but Vega didn't care today, he just wanted the filth of Tuchanka off his tired skin. He watched the water drain lethargically away; mud, sweat and dried blood mixing sickeningly in the flow.

It was done. They'd done it— or, _Shepard_ had done it. She'd actually gone and cured the fucking genophage. James wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel. He'd been involved in some high importance missions in his time— especially since meeting Shepard— but this was.. This was _history_. The repercussions of this were almost incomprehensible, and right now he didn't have the energy to try.

He sighed as he pulled on clean clothes. He didn't want to think about any of that, about losing Dr Solus and the Primarch's son, or about the miracle of not losing anyone else as well… Vega just wanted his bunk.

"Doctor T'Soni wishes to speak with you in her office Lieutenant Vega."

He stifled a groan.

"Thanks EDI,"

"You're welcome Lieutenant"

He'd known that, at some point, he was going to have sort out the mess he'd made, but he'd hoped for a night's rest between the brutes and the beauty.

—

As he waited awkwardly outside Liara's door, James wondered if there was another genocidal pathogen he could tackle instead. The door opened, but James didn't move until she called him inside.

"James?"

With a deep breath, he shuffled inside, barely through the doorway before he began to blurt out his apology.

"Liara, I'm sorry. I really am— I shouldn't have— it's just… ever since you dropped out of that vent on Mars I haven't stopped thinking about… it's just, you mean a lot to me and I—" Maybe it was because he'd been staring at the floor, or maybe it was her sheer speed, but before he knew how she'd got there, Liara had stopped his mouth with a kiss.

It was soft, tentative and clearly inexperienced, but it stopped his heart then sent it racing. He responded gently, terrified of blowing things like he had that morning. She broke the kiss and looked at him with sparkling eyes. James blinked dazedly in return, stunned beyond speech.

"I'm sorry about before, James," Liara whispered. "I was surprised— _scared_. I… I don't do this. No one has ever… I was using the war as an excuse… but I've been thinking about you a lot too. And after everything that happened today…"

"Liara…" he trailed off uselessly, but smiled.

"I just never thought that you'd want me the way that I want you…" She looked down, flushing lilac at her own words. He heard his breath catch in his throat as he reached out to tilt her gaze back to his.

"Say that last bit again." He said in a whisper of a growl.

Liara looked at him for a second before comprehension dawned.

"I want you…"

With a broad hand at her narrow back, he swept her against him; she gasped, but quickly settled one hand on his chest and another on his neck, eagerly meeting his kiss. Blood was pounding in his ears, but he controlled himself, keeping his actions soft and she responded gratefully. He heard her breath hitch as he let one hand move to skim her hip but continued around to cup her ass when she slid one hand under his shirt in encouragement. Without separating their lips, he helped her shrug out of her jacket but their kiss broke at last when they pulled his shirt up and over his head. Looping her fingers through his dog-tags, Liara pulled him back down to her. He tugged gently at the hem of her shirt and she pulled back.

"James," she said quietly.

"Hey, you okay?"  
>"Yes… yes definitely," she smiled, but there was something behind it. "It's just… I've never… No one has— This is the first-"<p>

"Liara," he called her eyes back to his from where it had wandered, clearly embarrassed. "We don't have to do _anything_ you don't want to."

"No," she said quickly, tracing the muscles of his chest. "I want to James, I do… But…"

"Slow?"

She nodded and he smiled against her lips when they met again. Reassured and with renewed confidence, Liara quickly shed her shirt and the next thing he knew he was perched on the edge of the bed, watching her slip out of her trousers. James drank her in; her underwear was simple and plain and she stood with clear bashfulness, but _Dios_ he didn't think he'd ever seen anything as sexy as Liara in that moment. She moved closer and he rose to meet her, hands moving to unclasp her bra. They laughed as he fumbled with the unfamiliar Asari design, but determination paid off and eventually it was thrown aside, allowing him to cup and kiss her full breasts. She let out quiet appreciative sighs, followed by a louder moan when he took a taught bud between his lips. They tumbled backwards onto the bed and James slipped his trousers off and away whilst Liara settled herself on the pillows. He covered her body with his, her skin warm and blue and _glorious_. She pulled more of his weight down onto her, murmuring something unintelligible against his lips and venturing a hand down to palm him through his boxers. The moan that burst out of him in response was shameful and when her hips bucked against him he changed tack. He backed down her body, trailing kisses and featherlight caresses that left her shivering with pleasure. Her brows furrowed as his touch left her entirely for a moment.

"James? Where are you- oh… _ohhh…_" her words failed as he pressed his mouth against her underwear, smiling when he found her wet and wanting. He slipped the garment down long, toned, _fucking perfect_ legs that spread willingly to allow his lips access. Tongue moving against her sweetest spot, swirling and sucking alternately as it throbbed under him, he slowly slipped a finger an inch or so inside her. Liara gasped but soon gave moans of pleasure, pushing against him, encouraging movement. Ordinarily, he'd want to send her over the edge once like this before moving on— but that was not what was called for tonight, not what she needed.

He reclaimed her mouth as he slipped off his boxers, feeling himself, now free, press against her stomach.

"Ready?" he whispered against her lips, receiving a nod in reply.

He pushed in slowly, though his need for her was almost unbearable. When she whimpered he froze, but before long she was pushing back into him, urging him on. His movement was slow at first, but the pace soon quickened until they were both panting and moaning each other's names.

"James," she gasped. When her eyes opened they were black. "Can I—?" He knew what she was asking.

"Fuck yes," James groaned.

The Meld hit him like a freight train, stilling him temporarily. It was more powerful than he ever could have imagined— and he _had_ imagined it. He could feel not only her around him, but also himself inside her, filling her. Their thoughts, consumed by ecstasy, crashed and multiplied in an insane fission of pleasure beyond anything he had felt before. James didn't know who tumbled over the edge first, but they pulled the other with them, crashing down into uncharted depths of feeling. Spent and panting, he collapsed beside her as the meld faded, winding his fingers through hers.

"_Dios…" _he heard himself say.

"_Goddess_…"

They were silent for a while as they rode out the last ripples of pleasure.

"James?"

"Yeah?" he smiled, rolling onto his side to look at her.

"Thank you,"

He laughed a little. "So that was okay then?"

"Very much better than okay." She smiled. "I'm sorry I don't have more experience."

"Hey," he stopped her, stroking her cheek. "Okay I've done that before, but never with someone that I- and the Meld was so fucking _intense_."

"I should have warned you before." Liara said. "I'm sorry."

"Mi amorsote _do not_ apologise for _that._" He grinned. "You sure you haven't done this before?"

Liara smiled up at him. "I'm a quick learner." She took his face in one hand, tracing the scars that lined it with the other.

"Yeah," he said, a little awkwardly. "Sorry about those… not my best feature…" She frowned a little.

"James," She took her hands away and rolled onto her front, exposing her back. Half a dozen scars ran the length of her torso, clearly from deep wounds, vicious and too uniform to be anything but deliberately inflicted with relish and concentration.

"_Dios Liara," _he whispered, tracing the harsh lines.

"I know," she sighed. "Not pretty."

"No it's not that," he frowned, "I just don't like to think that someone did that to you…" Only after speaking did he realise how stupid that sounded.

She laughed at him over her shoulder. "I'm a big girl James— Shadow Broker, remember?"

"Oh I remember," he smirked. "Pretty damn hot." His hand continued its movements up and down her back. "So… how…?"

She sighed and rolled onto to her back, laying her head on his chest when he laid down beside her. "It wasn't an easy job to get."

James looped an arm around her shoulders, sighing contentedly as she wriggled closer to him and toyed absentmindedly with his dog-tags.

"I am really _really_ glad I didn't bite the dust on Tuchanka."

"Me too." She agreed with a smile. "So… curing the genophage…"

"Mmmm, second best part of my day."

Liara laughed and sighed again. "Can you stay?"  
>"A dozen Krogan Battlemasters couldn't drag me away Blue," he said, stroking the grooves of her crest before stopping suddenly and sitting up a little. "Hey, is that racist? Calling you 'Blue'?"<p>

Liara laughed at him. "Possibly," she smiled, pushing him back down and reaching for a blanket before resettling. "But I like it anyway— and I think we're officially past '_Doc'_ now."

I could, in theory, leave it there- but I have a little more drama planned before the actual ending.


	8. Chapter 8

-AN: This chapter is tiny so I'm uploading the next one too.

This was really difficult to write. I'll explain why at the end.-

The Citadel Coup had been hard work, but the aftermath was stiff competition. Putting the place back together after Cerberus- and _Shepard_- had finished with it was no small task and naturally she seemed to have been put in charge of the entirety of it.

Liara sighed and rubbed her eyes, leaning back into her chair, her errant mind wandering, yet again, to the night after Tuchanka. She and James hadn't had much time together since then, no time at all really—just smiles and glances, a quick hand squeeze and talks over meals. But they were never really alone. Cortez knew, James had confessed that, but she didn't mind- better him than Joker. For now, they had an unspoken agreement to keep their relationship quiet. They'd arranged to meet later for dinner at a small place tucked into the back of Zakera Ward, but there were a thousand things she had to do before then—and she was running late.

Halfway down the Normandy's docking ramp, eyes fixed on the datapad in her hand, a voice broke her concentration. The source was a dark haired human, a marine by the looks of him, loitering near the ship.

"Hey, excuse me?" he said, waving to get her attention. She walked over to him.

"Can I help you?"

"Hopefully," he grinned. "Are you a part of the crew?" he gestured to the Normandy.

Liara paused. "Are you a journalist?"

"What? Me?" he shook his head. "No, I'm just—My name is Milque, I think a friend of mine is part of the crew and I was hoping to catch up with him. James Vega, Alliance Marine?"

"Oh," Liara was unable to stop a smile. "Yes I know James,"

"I bet you do," he replied with a laugh that unsettled her a little. "He'll have made sure of it. Loves the Asari does Vega."

"Oh he does, does he?" the smile was long gone.

"Ohhh yeah," the marine continued, not noticing her change. "There was this chick Treeya—"

"_Treeya_?" she echoed, as memories of her first real conversation with James slammed into her.

**_…"_****_when I was stationed on Fehl Prime, I met one of your peers, I think- Treeya Nuwani?"…_**

_"_Yeah," he carried on obliviously "Asari chick— archaeologist, _verrry_ hot. Anyway, he was super into her but I don't think she was having any of it and—hey, where are you going?"

"Excuse me," She managed tersely as she pushed past him towards the elevators.

"So, do you know where he is?" he called after her. "Hey! Hey Miss?"

She slammed the button to close the doors, her other hand balled into a fist.

—

Liara missed dinner.

Instead, she got a extra hour of work done in the Embassies and blagged her way into an Asari Commando firing range. A quick half hour of stress relief turned into an hour and then two. It did nothing to assuage her feelings, but it at least tired her out to the point where she'd be able to sleep without too much trouble. As she exited the range she checked her omni-tool, there were a dozen new messages waiting, four from James; she didn't open them. When she entered the CIC to speak to Shepard, she registered his presence with a churn of her stomach. He was loitering by the galaxy map, chatting to an ensign. Steeling herself, she strode straight past him, unable to avoid him entirely. James looked up as she passed, she caught the movement in the corner of her eye, but refused to acknowledge it.

"Hey, where were you Doc—" he started, but she cut him off as though no one had spoken.

"Shepard." She said, louder than strictly necessary. The Commander looked over.

"Liara?"

"I have some data you need to see." Shepard nodded and gestured for Liara to follow her through to the war room. Though she felt his eyes on her, she didn't look back at James.

It took about half an hour to run through the conclusions of her day's work and though Shepard listened, she seemed distracted.

"Is everything okay Commander?"

"Hmmm?" Shepard fidgeted a little. "Oh yeah, it's just weird having Kaidan back… I don't really know what… yeah…"

"Kaidan is back?" she asked, surprised. Shepard stared at her.

"Yeah- did you miss that?" she smirked. "You're slipping, Shadow Broker. You feeling okay?"

"I um…" Liara blushed a little and turned to leave. "Yes I'm fine Shepard. Goodnight."

-So I found this hard to write because I really really really didn't want Liara to come across as petulant or jealous because I don't believe she'd be like that and I love her. I hope it comes across that her behaviour comes from insecurity rather than melodrama. But seriously, this was a nightmare.

Another chapter has been uploaded at the same time because this one is small.-


	9. Chapter 9

"And you really don't know what's happened?" asked Steve, folding his arms and frowning. "No idea at all?"

"No." Vega groaned as he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Everything was fine yesterday morning- more than fine, great. But then she didn't show and when I saw her in the CIC she wouldn't even look at me. I don't know what the fuck happened. I went to her office last night but her drone told me she was _too busy for visitors_."

"Hmmm…" the pilot hummed through pursed lips. "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know." He whined. "That's why I'm asking you pendejo."

Steve sighed. "Well if Liara is anything she's logical, so there must be something—"

"But I didn't—"

Cortez shushed him. "I mean this must have some sort of reason, it wouldn't just come from nowhere, BUT… that reason might be based on some sort of misunderstanding—if we work on the premise that you haven't done anything."

"A misunderstanding?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "So you have to correct that misunderstanding."

"Right," he allowed himself a small smile. "You think?"

"As I _keep telling you_, women are not my speciality Vega. But, whatever happens, you have to figure it out anyway- even if you weren't moping around all lovesick, you can't avoid her for the rest of the war."

"Yeah… okay…" James nodded to himself. "I'll go now—or maybe I'll wait… I don't know… What do you think?"

"Just GO." Cortez shouted, walking back to the Kodiak. "I can't take any more of that wounded puppy expression."

Grinning nervously, Vega headed to the elevator. "Thanks Esteban."

"Yeah yeah."

—

He'd been too worked up to wrap his hands and he was beginning to feel it- but not as much as the punching bag was. Steve had scuttled out of the cargo bay when James landed his first punch and ignored his enquiry. Vega was grateful, he didn't want an audience for this. Even the bag seemed to be questioning him as he pounded it furiously.

Well he knew what was wrong now.

When she let him into her office, at last, her fists were clenched and her eyes on fire. She'd finally told him what was wrong- _Dios_ he could _fucking murder_ Milque. He'd made him out to be some ignorant jackass with an Asari fetish and a rejection complex. Liara had sparked blue as she yelled that she wasn't prepared to be some rebound, substitute for Treeya, that he couldn't just interchange one Asari for another. He'd stared incredulously at her before shouting back that it wasn't like that, that she was being ridiculous. She hadn't listened and he'd gotten more and more frustrated, eventually saying some idiotic things that he now agonisingly regretted.

_You have really fucked up this time Vega_.

He brought his fist back for another swing, but before it found its mark, a blue haze appeared around the bag, freezing it in place.

"James?" the voice was soft, a little unsteady.

He turned cautiously, almost scared to face her; but when he did James found her wringing her hands a little, moisture in her eyes as she looked at the floor.

"Hey," he said goofily, a little stunned by both her presence and stepped a little closer to him.

"James I'm sorry," she looked up through her lashes. "I was being stupid… _insane_. I've just…" she sighed and looked back down at the floor. Her next words rushed out in a nervous flood. "This whole thing—you and me… I still can't believe that this happened so when he said- something in me just latched onto that because how else could I possibly have gotten so lucky… I've been so worked up… I leapt to a really stupid conclusion, it was ridiculous and _childish_ and I'm sorry."

James gently took her hands in his and she looked up at him.

"You're cute when you're insecure, you know that?" She smiled weakly for a second. "But I wish you could see that you have no reason to be."

"I'm sorry—"

"No _I'm_ sorry. I said some really dumb shit back there— and I didn't mean any of it, not for a second. The war's getting to me too I guess—and I sort of lose myself around you, Blue."

Liara stepped forward and looped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest; she sighed as he traced the ridges of her crest.

"Hey, just for the record… about Treeya-"

"James you don't have to—"

"No, I need to say this." She stepped back from him, staring into his eyes as she held his hands. He drew a deep breath. "Yeah I had a crush on Treeya back on Fehl Prime—and I can see how it must look weird… both Asari archaeologists, Prothean experts… but that's it… By the end of that whole mess I could call her a friend, and I don't want to bitch about her… but she was… well, _cold_. And naive. She wouldn't accept the fact that… that a lot of the time you can't solve a problem without getting into the mess- into the shitty violent reality of the situation and making those hard decisions… I was a mindless grunt in her eyes, and I just accepted that. I was this dumb, fucked up kid—" she squeezed his hands a little. "But you… _Dios,_ I am NOT good at this stuff… you make me feel like… like I'm more than that. I went into this war as cannon fodder, didn't really care about much other than taking out as many bad guys out as I could before I bit the dust. But I don't feel like just another grunt anymore—and I'm not just content with racking up a decent kill count now. I _refuse_ to die."

Liara pulled his lips down to meet hers; warm, soft and tender. Their mouths parted and James brought his brow to rest against hers.

"You're not a grunt James," she said softly. "Never think that. You're kind and open and sweet—you're funny and you're _so_ much more intelligent than you give yourself credit for. And yes, you can tear through a battlefield like a Krogan, but you can make the hard calls—and then you beat yourself up about it and blame yourself beyond all logic," she smiled and he'd missed that look so much he couldn't help but return it "—but you do that because you're compassionate and you never lose sight of what's important… of the value of life despite all the horrors you've seen. With you I feel so much better about our chances, about myself… I feel safe… and it doesn't hurt that every time you smile at me I feel like my knees are going to give out."

He grinned at her and tugged her closer. "Careful, this is all gonna go to my head. And just so you know, you are _much_ hotter than-"

"Shut up James." Liara murmured, grabbing his shoulders as she jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist, crashing her lips against his. He staggered a little in surprise, but soon brought his hands up to her ass to support and pull her closer. Her kiss was fiercer than it had been before, more confident, and he returned the fervor eagerly. He brought them over to the, thankfully clear, weapons bench, moving one hand up to her cheek and the other to cup her breast as he set her down. Her breath hitched in her throat and she tugged at the hem of his shirt.

"_Here?_" he murmured against her lips.

She hummed against him. "What? Now you're shy?"

"_Dios,_ _Me vuelves loca… _Okay Blue,"

—

He lay blissfully on the floor by his bench, far past caring about the unforgiving surface. Liara, boneless and dazed, was curled on his chest.

"You are _definitely_ a quick learner," he exhaled.

"I don't know," she smiled. "I think I may still need some more lessons."

"Well far be it from me to hold back your quest for knowledge."

Liara laughed and sat up, looking around for her clothes. "I should go,"

He groaned his disapproval and, with a playful tug, pulled her back to his chest.

"I strongly disagree."

"I still have a few reports to file." She sighed, standing up and looking around.

"You're kidding right?" he propped himself up with an elbow so as to better appreciate the view. "It's like midnight." She gave him a regretful smile and he sighed. "I wish you could stay."

"Me too," Liara said, fastening her shirt. "But I really can't." James huffed and stood to find his own clothes. "_Although…_" She bit her lip.

He liked the sound of that. "Although?"

"I suppose if you were to come with me maybe you could help to… _motivate_ me."

"Fuck yes." He said immediately, prompting laughter. "Pass me my shirt."

—

When he woke in Liara's bed the next morning, it took a while for the events of the night before to come back to him. He smiled into the pillow, thanking a deity he wasn't sure he believed in and rolled over. Liara was already up and working at her desk- unsurprisingly. She turned her chair to the bed when he stretched and yawned.

"Morning beautiful," he smiled, rubbing his eyes.

"Have I ever told you you're a shameless flirt?"

James smirked. "Well I'm getting some very positive feedback lately." He yawned again. "What time is it?"

"8.54,"

"_Oh shit!"_

"What?"

"I'm on the ground team—I was supposed to be by the shuttle fifteen minutes ago." He dressed hurriedly but spared the time to plant a soft, probably too lingering, kiss.

"Go," she said, pushing against his chest. "What is it you humans say? Hate to see you go but love to watch you walk away?"

"Damn Blue you're making this harder."

"Go!"

—

Somehow, he managed to get to the shuttle before Shepard. The Commander turned up about five minutes after he did- enough time for him to suit up whilst steadfastly avoiding Cortez's knowing smile.

"So I went to check the brief through with Liara," Shepard began, a worrying smirk playing on her lips. "I think you left these behind Lieutenant." In a flash of silver she produced his dogtags from her pocket and threw them to him. He was already blushing furiously when he caught them. Shepard laughed, Cortez whistled and Garrus made some sort of humming noise that he assumed was the Turian equivalent.

"Commander I—"

"It's fine Vega, I'm not gonna rat you out." James smiled gratefully. "But know that if you ever do something to hurt her I'll break your fucking legs."

Shepard was smiling and laughing, but he didn't doubt for a second that she meant it.

-Hope this was okay. Maybe not writing the actual fight was a cop-out, but I found it so difficult to write Liara the way I wanted to- and I'm lazy.

So I have an end of ME3 chapter and possibly an epilogue planned before I finish.  
>Thanks for reading and for the lovely feedback I've had.-<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Liara stared out through the shattered window, watching the jagged shards divide and scatter bursts of light from explosions and overhead ships. She'd heard about London, even planned to visit. Lots of history, museums, culture, galleries... She wondered if any of that would be left afterwards—if there _was_ an afterwards.

From her position she saw Shepard approach Kaidan. They spoke for a moment and, though she couldn't hear their words, she knew what was being said. When Shepard turned away the Major pulled her back and swept her up into a kiss that raised her feet from the rubble. Liara looked away out of respect for this private, although also very public, moment.

She and James had spent their last night before the battle together and said their goodbyes—but she felt now, with every part of her, that it had not been enough,

Taking the stairs three at a time she hurried out into the street and turned the corner only to run straight into her quarry.

"I was just coming to find you."

He was smiling weakly, but the strain was clear as day if you knew how to read him.

"Beat you to it," she gave her own faint smile but heard her voice waver.

"Liara I was coming to—" he cleared his throat as his words cracked. "I love you. I need you to know that. I have no idea why I haven't said it before, I wish I'd said it every fucking day because I've known for so long now." Her breath caught in her throat before she replied.

"James I think I've loved you since you made me eggs." She smiled, bringing his head down for a brief kiss. "I wish I'd said it a thousand times before this. So if we make it out of this—" her voice was shaking now.

"Liara—"

"If we make it out of this—and we have to believe we will— then I'm going to make up for that."

"I'm not losing you Liara. I can't." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I _won't_. That's just... Not an option. No fucking way. I refuse to let anything take this away." He cradled her face. "So yeah, we're gonna make it out of this. Don't doubt that for a second. But be careful okay?"

"You too." She whispered, resting a hand on top of his. James nodded and dipped down for a final kiss that seemed to say more than all they'd said moments before.

"I love you" he murmured.

"I love you too." She smiled, fighting tears. "That's twice now. We're catching up."

They stood there for a while, just staring into each other's eyes. Finally James cleared his throat again.

"Give 'em hell, Blue"

"You too Lieutenant."

"I need you to keep putting pressure on that for me, okay?"

The marine nodded, blood plastering her dark hair across her face. With a tremendous roar, a Reaper Brute tore through the base of a building at the far end of the street. Liara gave it all she had as it stormed towards her, collapsing at last mere inches from her and knocking her to the ground. Turning back, her eyes met a crowd of snarling Husks right where she had left the marine.

With a horrified scream, she sprinted towards them, mustering a thundering biotic field that sent them flying.

"No!" She groaned, seeing the woman's glazed stare and shredded throat. "No no no"

"LIARA!"

Whirling around, she saw Tali calling her forward frantically as she picked off Cannibals.

"Come with me!" The Quarian screamed over the auditory assault of the battle. "We have to get to the Normandy!"

"What?" She shouted back "But—" And then she was on the ground; the world spinning and blurred. Tali pulled her to her feet and guided her through a maze of silent bullets and explosions. By the time she came out of the haze, she was half way up the docking ramp. She stumbled into the ship and would have fallen to the floor as The Normandy prepared for flight, but a strong arm held her steady.

"Steve," she said, looking up at the pilot who nodded and led her over to sit on a crate.

"James." She cried suddenly. "Steve, where's James?"

"We're looking for him,"Said Steve. "We'll find him Liara, just sit for a moment okay?"

Liara nodded dazedly, still only functioning at half capacity. Dimly aware of a cut on her forehead, she brought a finger to it and stared blankly at the blood on her hand.

EDI's voice pulled her from the fugue.

"We have a location for Javik and Lieutenant Vega. Landing now."

She ran to the closed ramp as the ship set down and _Goddess_ it had never opened so slowly. When it finally did, they were met with a nightmarish hellscape. Desperately, she scanned through the bodies and indiscriminate chaos until finally her eyes found him.

"James!"

"Steve grab her!" Tali yelled as she sprinted down the ramp. Steve quickly obeyed, managing her futile struggling right until Javik appeared on the ramp and then—

"JAMES"

Maybe Steve released her or maybe she broke free—it didn't matter. She was loose and in a second her arms were around him. He was bruised and covered in blood and dirt, but Liara had never seen anything so wonderful. He limped forward as the ramp closed, all the while pressing her to him.

"I'm okay Blue," he whispered. "_We're okay"_

-I'm not great at sincere emotion- in any setting. But I tried.

I have a stupid flufftastic epilogue planned that I'll get up in a few days, but other than that, my attempt at a Liara/James fic is over. I'm calling them J'Soni by the way seeing as I haven't found a proper ship name.  
>Thank you so much for reading and for the encouragement.<br>I hope this incites someone else into righting a better J'Soni fic because there really need to be more.-


	11. Chapter 11

"Let's eat out tonight"

Liara rasied her eyes from the datapad to look at him where he lay sprawled on the opposite sofa.

"Okayyy…" she narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Always so suspicious," he huffed. "We're celebrating."

"What, exactly?"

"Er… Me finishing N7."

"That was six months ago," she smiled.

"Okay, me getting a command post."

"That was _three_ months ago."

James thought for a moment.

"Shore leave?"

"Which started two weeks ago."

"Urgh," he jumped up and crashed down onto the other sofa beside her. "That corrupt Volus banker you uncovered this morning. _That_ is what we're celebrating."

"Well then I suppose I should go and get changed." She dropped the datapad into his lap and made her way across the apartment. He grinned as he watched her; stage one: complete.

—

"You look very smart," Liara smiled, smoothing out small creases in his shirt—for once, a more formal buttoned one rather than a tshirt.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" he raised an eyebrow with a smile.

"Just that you scrub up well _Captain_ Vega." Liara laughed.

"Well I've got you on my arm haven't I?" he replied, eying her sleek dress approvingly. "I've been letting the side down." She rolled her eyes but kept smiling. "You ready T'Soni?"

"Always, Vega."

—

James caught himself tapping the table nervously—Liara, of course, noticed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, the concern in her eyes so familiar, so comforting but always bittersweet. Her own work was just as dangerous as his in many ways and he worried about her too, despite her obvious capabilities. He hoped she knew that. "James?" He shook his head and smiled.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong." His smile widened. "Everything is _fantastic_."

Liara returned the smile and reached out to stop the tapping by holding his hand. "It is isn't it?"

"Which is why," he steeled himself with a deep breath. "I've been thinking that uh… just hear me out on this okay? Just think about it… There's still a lot I don't understand about Asari traditions and stuff, so I don't know how this will sound to you or if there's an equivalent… but when humans have found their… their _bondmate_ I guess, they get married—" Liara's eyes widened a little, so he hurried his remaining words, completely forgetting the speech he'd planned. "And I guess it's even a little old fashioned for humans now… And whatever you say," he squeezed her hand. "It changes _nothing_ about us and how I feel. But I'd be grateful if you just, y'know thought about it."

James waited nervously—how could it be true that he could keep a low heart rate whilst tearing through Batarian Slavers and yet now it was ready to burst out of his chest?

"James," Liara started slowly, "There are parts of human society that are still confusing to me," He nodded rigidly as his stomach sank. "—but I believe you're supposed to be kneeling."

He was on the floor so quickly that his chair toppled over, narrowly avoiding a waiter.

"Doctor Liara T'Soni," he started, confidence swiftly returning as her smile grew as wide as he'd ever seen it "Will you marry me?"

Liara nodded, flushing that shade of lilac he loved so much.

"I need hear you say it," he teased shakily.

"Of course I will," A few tears escaped her eyes as she stood up. "Of course I will you idiot."

James sprang to his feet and pulled Liara into a kiss that swept her from the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and responded without any of the composure or inhibition she usually maintained in public. When he finally set her down she took his hands in hers.

"James?"

"Yeah," he answered, sure that he had never been as happy, or looked so dopey, in all his life.

"I believe there's also supposed to be a ring."

—

ONE YEAR(ish) LATER

They were sprawled, fully clothed, on the bed in their apartment, basking in the Citadel's artificial sunlight. James' ship had docked two hours previously and his bags lay unpacked where he'd dropped them. Exhausted, he'd collapsed straight onto the bed and his wife had snuggled up to him happily. It had been a month and a half since they last had any time together—and that had only been a week. They had vidcalls and extranet emails—and of course they both had plenty to focus on- but being apart didn't seem to get any easier. Much had been said in the cab on the journey to their apartment but now they were content just to lie there.

"James?"

"Mmmm?"

Liara sat up and looked down at him beside her.

"I've been thinking,"

"Yeah?" he shuffled backwards to prop himself against the headboard. "Anything in particular?"

"About you dying."

He stared at her.

"Well don't sugarcoat it Blue,"

Liara frowned and scooched closer to him.

"_I mean_," she started "Even without you getting shot at every minute of every day," she batted his chest "It's still… I'm not even 150… and the cold reality is that when you do…_go_,"

He took her hand. "Many many years from now."

She smiled at him.

"Yes," Liara nodded. "A long time from now when you're old and fat and senile."

"Hey," he pouted.

"What I mean is… when that happens, it'll just be me." She looked down at the bed sadly and he gestured for her to move back to sit beside him, looping an arm around her shoulders when she did so.

"Why are you thinking about that shit, hmm?" he asked softly. "I've got a while left in me yet you know,"

_I guess even if you live a thousand years Death still hangs over you_.

"I know," Liara's head dropped to his shoulder. "But what I mean is…" She sighed and turned to face him properly, her expression nervous. "It doesn't have to be now, but I… I want us to have a child James."

Liara bit her lip, watching him.

_Say something pendejo!_

But she carried on before he could.

"And only when you're ready—_if_ you're ready… but I want—Goddess, it sounds so selfish… I want something that's both of us that will carry on… And I know we've never really talked properly about having children… but it's not just that I want a baby, I want _our_ baby… And then you'll still be with me and there will be someone else who loves you as much as I do" her voice cracked "_and 200 years later I won't be left wondering if all of this was just a dream._"

With a broad smile he pulled her into a stunned kiss.

"I've been thinking the same thing." He grinned against her lips.

She exhaled as though she'd been holding her breath the whole time.

"Really?"

"Really," he nodded, still beaming. "I've just been trying to figure out how to say it. You remember my submission for the galaxy's least coherent marriage proposal right?"

"I remember it very well," she smiled. "But James I mean what I said about you being ready—"

James shook his head, moving to hold her hands.

"Liara I want to _know_ my kids… see them grow up, play with them, interrogate their dates… not wait until I'm too old to throw a ball around with them or leave with them with a few photos and no memories. This job makes you think a lot about… y'know… and about what's important… so I _definitely_ want this and I am _definitely_ ready."

With a joyous laugh Liara threw her arms around him.

"And you don't mind that they'd be…?"

"Asari? Yeah I get that and the DNA stuff—but who cares?" James snorted."_Oh no, my daughters will be beautiful biotic badasses who'll live for a thousand year_s. Where exactly is the problem supposed to be?"

"Goddess I love you,"

"I love you too, Blue"

They held the embrace a while longer but eventually separated.

"So," she smiled. "Daughters, plural hmm?"

"Damn right. I have a houseful of little blue chicas planned."

Liara bit her lip again—not nervously this time but in that special little way that taunted him on lonely nights during deployments.

"What's that look for?" He arched an eyebrow, though he hoped he already knew the answer.

"Well if we're decided… we might as well start—if you're not too tired or—" Her words turned to a shriek and then laughter as James flipped her onto her back and pounced to claim her lips.

_"__Quiero estar contigo para siempre." _He murmured.

"_Eres el amor de mi vida_" she replied.

—

FIVE (ish) YEARS LATER

"You okay Captain?"

"Hhmm?" James turned to the Davies as the Citadel grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

"You just seem a bit…" He was a good kid, reminded him of Alenko a bit. "…out of sorts."

"Yeah I'm fine Private," he said with a small sigh.

"Got someone back there you're going to miss?" Lieutenant Graves had joined them now.

James smiled and nodded.

"My wife just had our second kid. Only had a week before I had to ship out again."

"Aw man," said Graves. "That's gotta suck."

"Understatement," he said grimly.

"Congratulations though," said Davies. "A boy or a girl?"

James laughed, prompting confused looks.

"Well my wife is Asari," he smirked. "So if it had been a boy something would have gone _very_ wrong."

Davies looked a little embarrassed, but they both smiled back at him.

"So how'd you meet her?" the Lieutenant asked.

"The war,"

"She military too?"

"Used to be- sort of… but not anymore- she's an information broker. Damn good one. But yeah, she's gets the military thing… which helps- still hard sometimes." He shook off the reverie. "Still, just one more reason to look forward to retirement."

"You worn out already Captain?" laughed Graves. "I thought you'd keep going until they took you off the field in a bag."

"Guess he's getting old," added Davies.

"Hey, I helped save the freaking galaxy. One year under Shepard is as tough as ten under anyone else."

"Ugh," said Graves with an eye roll "Here come the war stories."

"I **will **have you court-marshalled Lieutenant."

"Yes sir, sorry sir."

—

TWO(ish) YEARS LATER

The SSV Blenheim had docked at the Citadel for two months of shore leave before its next tour of duty. As Captain, James had to wait around whilst the crew filtered out and various things were unloaded. He was signing off the shipment of Drell Blood they'd agreed to transport when he heard an ensign shout from the docking ramp.

"Excuse me Miss, you can't be up here!"

"Daddy!"

A small blue figure crashed into him, thin arms wrapping around his broad leg.

"Hey there chica," James laughed, scooping up his eldest daughter to hug her to him. "Did you miss me?" Aurelia nodded and nuzzled into his neck. Grabbing his bag, he adjusted his hold on her and walked down the ramp, smiling at the flustered ensign as he passed.

Liara was there waiting for him, their younger daughter in her arms. For all his maintenance and ego, there was evidence of the passing years on James' face. But Liara, of course, looked exactly as she had when they'd first met, although less stressed—even with two children and a high pressure job. From her mother's arms, Eleni reached out with pudgy fingers.

"Hi baby girl," He let her grab his finger as he bent down to kiss her cheek before straightening to look into Liara's smiling eyes.

"Hey you," he grinned.

"Hi there," she smiled. James started to lean for a kiss, but Aurelia had other ideas.

"Daddy did you beat all the bad guys?" she asked, tugging his dogtags for attention. He stifled a sigh.

"_Later_" Liara whispered, sparking instant flutters of excitement.

"Daddy!?" Aurelia repeated.

"You bet I did," he said as they walked towards the cabs.

"Did you blow them up?"

"A couple of them yeah, I'll tell you all about it at dinner okay?"

"Not _all_ about it I hope," Liara said pointedly.

Aurelia pouted with the skill of someone twice her age and wriggled to be put down.

"So have you both been good for your Mom?"

"Yes." She replied instantly.

"Hhhm, I'm not sure I believe you. Is that true Liara?"

"Oh more or less," she smiled, handing Eleni to him when he gestured and laughing as he cooed shamelessly over her.

"What?" he asked indignantly.

"Nothing Mr Big Tough Soldier," she smirked.

"Mommy can we go to 'Yuzo's' for dinner?"

"Not tonight," Liara said as the cab door opened. "Daddy's cooking us eggs,"

I think this whole thing probably just got worse and worse as I went on, but I enjoyed it and if I'm lucky someone else might too.

The time periods were sort of randomly picked and I called the ship 'Blenheim; because it was the only battle I could think of at the time other than Agincourt- and that was already used.  
>The names for the daughters were also difficult because lots of the known Asari names end in 'a' and lots of traditional Spanish girls' names also end in 'a'- so they all sounded strange together, especially if you stick Vega on the end. But yeah.<br>I've said it before but I'll say it again, there needs to be more fic about these two.  
>Thanks for reading.++++++++++++++<p> 


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